The retro farce featured an impressive roster of stars, many of whom were still up-and-coming when the film debuted in 2001, including: Elizabeth Banks, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper, Janeane Garofalo, Ken Marino, Christopher Meloni, David Hyde Pierce, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, and Joe Lo Truglio. The prequel would focus on the characters as high-schoolers, despite the fact that many of the cast members are now in their 40s.